


Intoxication

by escape2020



Category: Pride and Prejudice (2005), Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Dominant Kylo Ren, Edwardian Period, Extremely Dubious Consent, F/M, Knights of Ren - Freeform, Non-Consensual Somnophilia, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, Oral Sex, Orgasm Delay, Rape/Non-con Elements, Reader-Insert, Rey is bi, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Soft Kylo Ren, Somnophilia, Submissive Reader, Vaginal Fingering, Voyeurism, ruined orgasm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:02:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26486866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/escape2020/pseuds/escape2020
Summary: The year is 1905 and you are a young, upper middle class woman living in the English countryside. On a night out with your sisters you learn that a wealthy man in the railroad industry has just moved into town. He brings his handsome but mysterious business partner to the party you’re attending, leading to a confusing interaction. What does he want from you?On hiatus right now, sorry to anyone who's reading!
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Reader
Comments: 25
Kudos: 53





	1. Constellations

Every summer evening, in your west-facing bedroom, the setting sun would cast warm, orange light through your windows, gradually deepening into purple, then black, signaling for you to light some candles or settle into bed. Today however, as the sun dipped towards the horizon and drenched you in its amber light, you turned away and reached for a small, crystal bottle. You gently pulled the stopper out, closed your eyes, and took a moment to waft the bottle under your nose, flooding your senses with the aromas of patchouli and musk. Underneath these headier scents, the delicate fragrance of jasmine waited to be released by the heat of your skin.

Hearing your name being shouted from the lower level of the house, you pulled yourself from your reverie and quickly dabbed the mouth of the bottle to your wrists and behind your ears.

“It’s time to go, the stagecoach is waiting outside!” Your sister Rey was calling for you again, this time louder. With one last look in the mirror and a pinch to each of your cheeks to enhance their blush, you ran into the hallway and down the stairs.

“I’m here, I’m here, you can stop yelling now,” you said with a grin to Rey.

“You know I don’t like being late,” she reminded you, but smirked and grabbed your hand to lead you outside. The two of you climbed into the back of the carriage, the front bench already occupied by your three younger sisters. With everyone finally present, the coachman set the horses to a brisk trot.

Your elbow rested on the edge of the carriage window and you watched the English countryside ramble by, now painted in magenta light. The sound of your younger sisters talking animatedly blended with the rumble of wheels on gravel and you felt your excitement growing. All five of you were headed to a summer ball, and you were looking forward to a night of dancing and catching up with friends.

By the time the stagecoach pulled in front of a large estate, the sun had all but disappeared and stars had begun to peak through the dark sky. Your younger sisters scrambled out of the carriage the moment its wheels stopped rolling, leaving you and Rey to enter the ball together. Rey stepped out before you, taking a moment to smooth the skirts of her dress. She was always the most elegant sister, both in demeanor and dress. Tonight, her golden ringlets were piled high atop her head, and she wore her favorite gown, which draped her in pale peach silk trimmed with tiny black beads, and sheer tulle sleeves that ended at her elbows.

You followed Rey out, careful to lift your skirts so as not to make a scene by falling out of the carriage. Even without any mishaps though, you were bound to attract some attention tonight. Your gown was a rich plum, embroidered with gold beading that formed intricate patterns. Where Rey was covered nearly to her chin in silk and tulle, your decolletage was left bare, adorned only by a delicate string of pearls. Your hair was swept up as well, though maybe a bit more haphazardly than Rey’s.

Now at your sister’s side, the two of you walked through the front doors of the estate, immediately greeted by the chorus of voices within. You passed through the atrium and reached an expansive room full of dancing couples, a string quartet, and waiters filtering through the crowd with hors d'oeuvres and champagne. You snatched a flute from a passing waiter then scanned the room for familiar faces. Soon, you caught the eye of your cousin Rose and made your way over to her with Rey in tow behind you.

Rose squealed your name and brought you in for a tight hug, beaming when she released you. “Did you hear?” she asked, looking at you expectantly.

“Did I hear what?” you looked at Rose, confusion written across your face.

“A young man named Vicrul has purchased the Netherfield estate - and he’s single!” Rose could hardly contain her excitement. “Look! I can actually see him across the room now.”

You followed her gaze to see a handsome man with sandy colored hair and an inviting smile. He was chatting with a small group of partygoers, most of them giggling women. This didn’t surprise you, given his relaxed posture, easy smile, and of course the knowledge of his wealth. Rose informed you that he was the co-owner of a company called “First Order Cars” which manufactured luxury railway cars.

“And that’s his business partner,” she continued. To Vicrul’s left was a man who stood several inches taller than him, reaching well over six feet. He was dressed in an impeccably tailored suit. Beneath a charcoal colored woolen vest was a high white collar, and over top of his suit jacket he wore a long black coat that reached his knees and cinched in slightly at the waist. Looking up to his face, you first noticed the thick, black waves of hair that fell to his shoulders, followed by his high cheekbones and strong, aquiline nose. Bringing your gaze down, your attention was brought to his full lips, and you wondered absently if they were as soft as they looked.

“What’s his partner’s name?” you asked Rose, hoping your face didn’t betray your silent observations.

“His name is Kylo Ren, but don’t waste your time trying to talk to him, I’ve heard he’s quite standoffish and a bit rude.” This statement from Rose was all you needed to banish any thoughts about his lips. You smiled to yourself at how quickly your mind had wandered, and turned to face both Rose and Rey.

“Why don’t we go over there and see if Vicrul will dance with Rey? After the guy who nearly broke her toes last week, I think she needs a man with some refinement,” you proposed with a glint in your eye.

Rey blushed but didn’t protest, so you finished what was left of your champagne and the three of you headed over to join the growing crowd of women vying for Vicrul’s attention. With plenty of “excuse me’s” and “pardon me’s” you were soon all standing within the inner ring of women crowding Vicrul, having swiped another flute of champagne on your way over. In an effort to get your sister standing opposite him, you nudged her ahead and allowed yourself to pull off to the side.

Vicrul immediately noticed Rey by her elegant beauty and quickly struck up conversation with her. Before long, he had asked her to dance, and you watched them out on the floor for a while, two beautiful, vibrant people enjoying the night. You smiled and finished the last of your drink, swaying to the beat of the music. Maybe swaying a little bit too passionately, as you accidentally knocked your hip into the dark wall next to you.

Wait, not a wall, but the towering, broad-shouldered man you had seen from across the room standing with Vicrul. You looked up, craning your neck because of your closeness, to see Kylo Ren standing directly beside you. You wanted to apologize for bumping into him but when your eyes met, the words caught in your throat. His eyes were a deep golden brown, the colors shifting and glimmering under the candle-lit chandeliers. Your closeness allowed you to see the sparse constellation of freckles articulating his face, invisible to you from across the room. His brow furrowed the longer you stood staring with your mouth slightly agape. Your gaze had drifted down to his lips but darted back up when he shifted uncomfortably and ran a gloved hand through his hair.

“Sorry!” you stammered “I was just really enjoying the music,” a blush deepening in your cheeks as you wondered how long you had been staring.

“I think you’ve been enjoying that _champagne_ a little too much,” he grumbled, his eyes flitting over your face then dragging down your form, only to meet your eyes again with an unreadable expression.

Without asking, he plucked the glass out of your hand, grabbed you by your elbow, and pulled you away from the group you had been standing with.

“Excuse me, I can handle myself, let go of me!” you demanded. But his hold was firm. You didn’t drink very often, but you also knew you were perfectly capable of handling two drinks over the course of an evening.

When he finally stopped walking, you were standing in front of a long table of refreshments. He set your empty glass down and wordlessly handed you one of water, dropping his gaze to the floor. The whole exchange bewildered you, considering he was essentially a complete stranger, but you brought the glass to your lips anyway and took a sip.

You narrowed your eyes at him. “You don’t have to take care of me like I’m your little pet - you don’t even know me.” He glanced down at you at this, and quirked a brow. His eyes dropped to the low neckline of your dress, then quickly back to your eyes. Had you imagined it? Suddenly the heat of the room was getting to you. “I need to step outside,” you mumbled, a flush beginning to creep up your neck.

Without another word, Kylo Ren’s hand dropped to the small of your back and he began to steer you towards the front entrance of the building. Once you were outside in the cool evening air, he pulled his hand away, to your disappointment. Maybe the drinks _were_ getting to you. Why did you want this man, entirely unknown to you before this night, to have his hands on you?

“Well thank you for your _assistance_ ,” you said, averting your eyes, a hint of disdain in your voice, “but I think I’ll be fine on my own now.” You brought your eyes back up to gauge his reaction and thought you saw a flash of anger in his eyes, but it was gone before you could be sure.

“Just finish your water and I can stop babysitting,” he insisted, annoyance evident in his tone.

In an effort to get him to leave you alone, you downed the rest of the water and glared back up at him. “Happy?” you demanded, holding the glass upside down to show that it was empty.

A muscle under one of his eyes twitched almost imperceptibly, but he took the glass from you and nodded, “Good girl.”

Your brain stalled for a moment in its attempt to come up with a response. Something stirred deep inside you, though you couldn’t understand why. Before you could find a way to make him explain his strange behavior this evening, he had already turned his back and begun walking back into the party.

You stood there perplexed for a few minutes, trying to make sense of what had just happened, but before you could put words to it, you saw Rey coming towards you. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair slightly unkempt from dancing.

“Where have you been? I’ve been dancing all night and I didn’t see you out there,” Rey sang in her sweet voice, a slight question on her face.

“I was just watching you have a good time with _Vicrul_ ,” you teased, failing to mention the interaction you’d had with a certain friend of his.

Rey let out a bubbly giggle, “Well, he’s quite the dancer - I didn’t even realize how late it had gotten.”

“Why? What time is it?” You asked, certain it couldn’t be past 9:00pm.

“It’s nearly 11:00, our coach should be here any minute to bring us back. I’m going to run back inside to round everyone up - I’ll be right back.” Rey didn’t wait for your answer and went back inside to fetch your sisters.

You stood alone again, turning over the events of the peculiar night in your mind, wondering if the haze of intoxication had embellished your memories at all. But before you could question it any longer, the stagecoach rolled up and your sisters joined you inside of it shortly after.

On the ride back home, all four of your sisters drifted to sleep, exhausted from a night of dancing, but you looked out the window, wide awake. It was a cloudy night, with only a handful of stars twinkling back at you. Without meaning to, your mind drifted until you were no longer looking at incomplete constellations, but gazing into a face smattered with freckles. You squeezed your eyes shut at the intrusive thought, blocking out the night sky from your view. You were relieved when the coach finally arrived back at your house. A good night’s sleep would surely rid you of these unwarranted thoughts. As your consciousness slipped away, you were still trying to convince yourself that it would all be a faint memory come morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! This is supposed to be a Pride & Prejudice x Star Wars crossover (I pushed it forward in time to 1905 because I prefer the aesthetic and available technology). If I stick with this and write what I have planned, the story will definitely get steamy/nsfw, but for now, it's a slow burn, Edwardian style (so like a snail's pace burn).
> 
> This is my first attempt at writing fan fic and I haven't done any creative writing in a million years, so feedback is welcome.  
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Copper and Tweed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Rey head into the city for a leisurely day of shopping. You get distracted by a cozy looking bookstore and meet its owner who is eager to please.

Waking up the morning after the party, you were relieved to find yourself well rested and with a clear mind. Today you’d be heading into the city with Rey to look for new shoes and enjoy a day of leisure. After pulling on a simple linen dress you headed downstairs, following the smell of breakfast. You sat down at the kitchen table across from Rey who was already sipping at her honey-sweetened tea. Soon, a maid brought you a plate of fried eggs and a cup of coffee, your preferred source of caffeine. After taking a few bites you looked back to your sister expectantly. 

“So I don’t get any details from last night? Do I have to tear it out of you or are you going to spill?” you prodded.

Apparently no further digging was required, as your questions caused her to burst at the seams and begin gushing. “Oh Vicrul was the perfect gentleman, and  _ such _ a good dancer! His eyes were this gorgeous seafoam green, I had to look away because I was afraid I’d start staring!” Rey’s eyes sparkled at the memory and she looked to you for your reaction.

You smiled back fondly, your heart swelling at her happiness. You could never tell your other sisters, but Rey was your favorite - you just had a special bond that allowed you to easily share in each other’s emotions.

“Well when are you going to see him again?” you asked.

“ _ Well _ , he told me he is going to be hosting a party at the Netherfield estate next weekend. So I really need to find a new gown today, or else he might not notice me again,” she fretted, casting her gaze back down to her tea, still in hand.

“Of  _ course _ he will notice you,” you rolled your eyes playfully, “but we will certainly get you something show-stopping to wear next week.”

Rey looked back up at you and grinned. “And if I’m not mistaken, I could have sworn I saw you talking to Vicrul’s business partner last night.” She eyed you quizzically. “What was his name again?”

This time it was your turn to avert your eyes. You took another bite of eggs to stall your response. Swallowing slowly you raised your head and looked up into the corner of the room, as if something really interesting up there was dividing your attention. “His name is Kylo Ren,” you muttered, “and it was nothing, he was just getting me some water,” you trailed off.

The question had not left Rey’s face. You sighed and met her eyes, “It was nothing, okay? Promise.”

Her expression softened and she nodded, accepting your answer. Relieved, you glanced out the window to see that your coach had arrived to take the two of you into the city. 

****************

It was a beautiful day to be in the city, the sun shined brightly and a light breeze played with the wisps of hair that framed your face. You and Rey casually strolled down the cobbled street, pausing every so often to peer into the windows of various shops. Coming up on your left was a charming brick facade, blanketed in ivy, its many-paned windows reflecting the light of the midday sun. Over the door frame it read “Hux’s Books & Print Shop”.

“Oh, let’s go in!” you begged Rey. You always were a sucker for a good book store. There was just something about sifting through the volumes in search of a hidden treasure. You liked to take your prize and settle into a well-worn leather seat, tucked away in the corner of the shop, and eagerly begin reading before even returning home.

Knowing Rey would follow, you ran to the front door, practically skipping. As you pushed it open and passed over the threshold, a small collection of bells jingled over your head. It was just as you’d expected, books jam packed into floor-to-ceiling shelves. You inhaled deeply, enjoying that familiar but unmistakable smell of aging books. Looking around, it was difficult to know where to dive in, but before you could begin, you caught a bright flash of orange out of the corner of your eye. Turning to investigate, you saw a man with a shock of coppery hair carefully combed into short, gentle waves. He stood opposite the store’s clerk in a casual tweed suit, elbows bent and forearms resting on the front counter. You could  _ just _ hear him having a hushed but slightly heated conversation with the other man. Out of curiosity, you nonchalantly paced over to a pile of books near to him. You picked up the first book within your reach, not bothering to check its title, and flipped it open to a random page. Head tilted down as though you were reading, you perked your ears to eavesdrop.

“I told you Bolton, I  _ need _ those books stocked, they’re piling up at the press and they’re going to cost more than they’re worth if they don’t start selling. And that will make  _ you _ cost more than you’re worth,” the red-haired man warned. 

“I’m sorry Mr. Hux, I’ll get right on that,” the clerk reassured his boss.

Just then, you shifted your weight ever so slightly and the old wooden floorboards groaned under your feet. Hux - that was his name you supposed - turned his head to see you gawking, not so stealthy as you’d thought.

The irritation written into his features dissolved when he saw you, a warm smile spread over his face and caused the corners of his eyes to crinkle. “Can I help you find anything Miss…?” He paused to let you provide your surname.

You gave him your name, trying not to let your embarrassment show. “I’m just browsing,” you continued. He stepped forward to close the distance between you two and reached out his hand, palm up.

“May I?” he asked, using his eyes to point to the book in your hand, now hanging limply at your side. You nodded and gave it to him.

He turned it over to read the title and cocked a brow, “‘Blockading Strategies in the War of 1812’? Is this what you like to read?” he asked, looking at you.

Knowing that your cover was completely blown at this point, you let out a short, ashamed laugh, but you could see by the look on his face that he was only amused at your poorly executed stunt. 

“Not really, I prefer poetry,” you confessed, “Keats is my favorite.”

“Keats! A woman of taste I see. I think I can help you with that if you’ll follow me,” he implored. Curious about his collection, you allowed him to lead you through the maze of stacks to the poetry section. 

As Hux was leaving you to peruse the shelves, he turned back to say, “I’m a bit of a romantic myself, so I think you’ll appreciate this selection, but if there’s anything else I can provide to ensure your pleasure, do not hesitate to find me again.” 

With that, he disappeared into the back room of his shop, leaving you turning his parting words over in your head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I am still figuring out how I want to portray each character's personality, so hang with me! Please let me know what you thought :)


	3. Mischief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long but successful day of shopping in the city, you and Rey decide to take the train home. After Rey dozes off, you decide to entertain yourself with a bit of mischief.

With a successful day of shopping behind you, boxes full of satin and lace in hand, you and Rey headed for the train station - quarters more spacious than a coach would be necessary with the additional baggage. You stepped onto the platform and observed the bustle that buzzed in the air around you. Smartly dressed women rushed past with children in tow, businessmen held lively conversations about the current state of the market, and shoe-shiners paused for a smoke while they waited for their next customers.

Looking up, you gazed at the high, domed ceilings, supported by a latticework of steel. Encompassing the whole structure was a half-globe of glass that allowed the fading light of the day to filter through. Spotting the ticket booth, you and Rey went to pay your fare. Your family certainly had money, but not enough to be careless with how it was spent, so you reserved two standard-class seats. Riding first-class was not a luxury with which you could often indulge. You flipped the ticket over in your hand in search of your seat number. In bold, black ink it read “North London Rail - Standard Class - Seat 104”. Rey’s ticket was identical except for hers indicating seat number 105. 

As the two of you walked along the length of the train and approached your car you passed by the luxury cars at the front. Rey glanced at you and wondered aloud, “What do you think those seats are like? I bet they’re grand - trimmed from floor to ceiling in gold, and every passenger has their own velvet chaise.” She had a starry look in her eyes.

In truth, you had no idea what the interior of those cars looked like, and you probably would never know, but you didn’t want Rey to share in your pessimism. “Maybe, but I guarantee they’re full of snobs - I would hate to travel any distance in that company,” you quipped.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Rey sighed.

Before you could continue your conversation, you arrived at your train car and the conductor asked for your tickets. After he tore off the perforated end, you climbed in and shuffled down a narrow aisle to your seats. The boxes that you carried from the day of shopping proved a bit bulky in the cramped standard-class car. The already-seated passengers shot you dirty looks as you bumped into them, even knocking one woman’s hat clean off of her head.

You sighed in relief when you were finally seated, your boxes stowed away by your feet. Shortly after, you heard the train whistle scream overhead and the conductor called for any last passengers to board. A gentle lurch signaled that the train was finally moving. 

Looking out the window, you could see the countryside approaching as you left the limits of the city. The sun would have been low in the sky if you could see it, but over the past hour it had become obscured by heavy storm clouds. You heard a crack of thunder, immediately followed by the soft pattering of raindrops against glass. You glanced over at your sister who was slumped over in sleep, one of her curls gently lifting from her face with each exhale. Looking around the rest of the train car you could see that most people were engaged in conversation, their words muted by the rumbling of the train. Those traveling alone either had their noses buried in the daily paper or had dozed off like Rey. 

The conductor was nowhere to be seen and a mischievous thought occurred to you. Maybe you  _ could _ see what the first-class cars looked like. It would take just a little bit of stealth and a good excuse in the event that you were caught. You knew that passengers in standard-class were not allowed in the cars at the front of the train, but you could usually get out of trouble by using a sweet voice and batting your eyelashes.

With your mind made up, you casually rose from your seat, careful not to arouse suspicion with your demeanor. Crossing from one end of your car to the other carried no risk, but as you passed into the next car, still standard-class, though not assigned to you, excitement began to bubble up in your chest. Your life wasn’t exactly full of adventure, so sneaking into somewhere that you weren’t meant to be was enough to accelerate your pulse ever so slightly.

It wasn’t until you had walked through five train cars that you came to the beginning of the first-class section. As you crossed through the entry, you were relieved to find it almost entirely empty, allowing you the time to take in the scene before you. It was nearly as spectacular as Rey had anticipated. The walls were covered in dark oak paneling, the windows framed with emerald green drapes, and yes, there  _ was _ a lot of gold-painted trim. The seats were a plush oxblood leather, generously spaced from each other. Your fingers brushed over the surfaces of luxuries you’d never truly know. You continued to pace forward down the aisle, taking it all in as you went. Thankfully, nobody seemed to pay you any mind.

As you entered the next car, you noticed that they seemed to be getting more extravagant and sophisticated the closer you got to the front of the train. This car had some of the same leather benches, but it also had a desk for writing, complete with fountain pens and paper ready to be used. This car was completely empty; glancing around to make sure, you gingerly pulled the chair away from the desk and took a seat. It was probably meant for men traveling on business, but you closed your eyes for a moment and imagined that you were someone important, maybe an author, and the desk was meant for  _ you _ .

The distant sound of mens’ voices startled you from your daydream. You rose, hastily replaced the chair, and entered into the next train car. This one was a dining car, featuring a long table that would seat eight, a small bar, and several oil lamps mounted on the walls. You would have spent longer here, but the voices were getting louder, so you passed through the threshold once more in an attempt to escape them.

This car was only a narrow hallway, but it had four doors, two on each side, that faced in towards the center. The voices were nearly upon you and panic that you would be caught began to set in. Looking around frantically for an escape, you yanked open one of the doors and quickly closed it behind you. 

After catching your breath, you took a moment to survey your surroundings. By the looks of it, you were in a private room in one of the sleeper cars. The space was small, but it was outfitted with an upholstered couch that would pull out into a bed, a small steel sink mounted to the wall in the corner, and even a toilet. Back in standard class, there was only one bathroom to serve half of the train, but these passengers each had their own.

After taking a few breaths to quiet the pounding in your chest, and hearing only silence on the other side of the door, you went over to the sink to splash some water in your face. The cool water was refreshing and helped to wash away the beads of sweat that had begun to drip down your neck and between your breasts.

Just then, you heard the door knob turn and you froze, leaving the water running in your terror. You were kicking yourself for not turning the lock, but it was too late for that now. You stood away from the sink and straightened yourself up, waiting for the conductor to inevitably come in, scold you, and maybe even kick you off of the moving train for this discretion. 

As the door pushed inwards, you saw a man stoop over to pass under the frame, his face obscured by long dark locks as he bent over. When he finally stood at his full height your heart jumped and you felt heat rising over your cheeks. To be caught by the conductor was one thing, but to be found by  _ Kylo Ren _ was a whole new level of embarrassment. Even worse, your shock wouldn’t allow you to stop gawking at his face, your mind somehow recalling from your last encounter the exact location of each of his freckles, seemingly against your will.

It was some consolation that he seemed just as surprised to find you there as you were to be found. Before you could restart your brain to find something appropriate to say, something that would reasonably explain away your predicament, he turned away from you.

He was leaving! Apparently he was perfectly content to let this strange meeting dissolve without so much as a word exchanged.

But instead of walking out the door, he reached for the knob and pulled it shut, closing you both inside. He turned to face you once more, “What are you doing here?” he questioned you, curiosity in his eyes as they searched your face.

“I...I was just…..it’s not what it…..I was looking for a restroom…” you sputtered, the blush in your cheeks deepening. Your eyes drifted over to the sink just off to your left, which still had water running from the faucet, unwilling to meet his eyes.

Out of your periphery, you could see the corner of his mouth turn up in amusement. He took a step forward, nearly closing the distance between you in the small room, and reached past you to turn the knob and shut off the water. As he reached over, he practically towered over you, and suddenly your senses were overwhelmed with a complex, intoxicating fragrance. Cedar, cardamom, bergamot, and something else you couldn’t quite place. 

After turning off the faucet, he pulled his arm back to stand straight once again, but this time he was somehow closer. “I’ll ask you again little girl, what are you doing here?” he pressed, the hint of a warning in his voice. 

Your hands began to fiddle with your dress as you racked your brain for something convincing to say. Your eyes were focused on your shoes, which had become very interesting all of a sudden, until you felt his thumb and forefinger at your chin, lifting your face to meet his gaze. He looked at you expectantly, amber pools churning darkly. 

Realizing the jig was up, your shoulders dropped, knowing he would see right through your lies. “I’ll probably never sit in first class...I just wanted to see what the rest of the train looked like,” you admitted.

His expression softened at your confession and his hand shifted from your chin to instead cup your cheek. A small shudder passed through your body and you unconsciously leaned your face into his palm, enjoying the feeling of his calloused digits on your skin.

“You can’t be here, and I think you know that,” Kylo purred, his thumb now stroking your cheek. “You’re going to let me bring you back to your assigned seat, or there will be consequences,” he finished.

His tone was gentle, but his words, and the expression on his face said otherwise. He looked stern, like he was a teacher about to rap your knuckles with a ruler, but there was something else there too...desire? You blinked and it was gone, leaving you only with the schoolmaster.

A loud clap of thunder brought you back to your senses. You pinched your brows together and frowned, “What are you doing here anyway? You can’t just barge into any room you like either,” you retorted.

His amusement from earlier returned, “This is  _ my _ train, little sneak, and I can inspect it, and its contents, whenever I please.” Kylo’s eyes flicked over your body, and you were suddenly acutely aware of the fact that nobody knew where you were. The scent of his cologne, the warmth of his closeness, it was becoming too much.

“I’m sorry Sir,” you stammered, eager to break the spell that was cast over the room. He nodded and lowered his hand, leaving you feeling simultaneously relieved and hollow. Kylo opened the door, and you moved to push past him, but before you could, he took hold of your wrist and led the way out. You opened your mouth to object, but stopped when you saw the cautioning in his eyes.

“I can’t have my little sneak running off again, now can I? I’ll be returning you to your proper seat,” he notified you.

There was nothing for you to do but follow him through the length of the train, your wrist firmly encircled in his hand. You kept your eyes down to avoid the stares of those you passed. They were likely confused as to why this dark, towering man with a commanding presence was briskly leading you, a nobody, into the standard-class cars.

Upon arriving back at your seat, you were grateful to find Rey still fast asleep. You weren’t sure how long you’d been gone, but you didn’t want her to witness this humiliating display. 

Kylo didn’t let go of your wrist until you were fully seated. You crossed your arms and glared up at him, indignant with his treatment of you, but not confident enough to test him with the sass that you were currently keeping bottled. 

“Now, will you stay put and be a good girl for the rest of the ride?” he asked, voice low. 

You nodded and lowered your eyes to his shoes. But once again, you felt his fingers lifting your chin so that you were forced to look at him.

“Answer me when I talk to you, little girl,” he admonished.

You sat up straighter in your chair and acquiesced, “Yes Sir, I’ll stay right here.”

Kylo smiled down at you, leaving you with a warm, pleasant feeling in the pit of your stomach. Releasing your chin, he ran the back of his fingers over your cheek, then turned to go. You watched him leave your train car, though he never turned back, leaving you with a strange sensation. If you could properly gather your thoughts in that moment, you might have called it ‘longing’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh, things are starting to heat up! There are consequences if you don't do as Kylo says...


	4. And who said chivalry was dead?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and your sisters are invited to a housewarming party at Vicrul’s new estate. You were enjoying a night of dancing before you let your curiosity get the best of you once again.

In the days following your shopping trip, you did everything in your power to look busy and avoid Rey. She had been absent for both your interaction with Hux at the bookstore and your run-in with Kylo on the train. At this point, the fact that you hadn’t told any of it to Rey was starting to feel a lot like lying. It didn’t feel like _you_ and it was beginning to make you uneasy. You spent a lot of the past few days wandering the gardens with a worn book in hand. Today, you even tried to occupy yourself with needlepoint, but after your clumsy handling of the needle had irreparably specked the linen with red, you threw it aside with an exasperated huff.

You brought your index finger to your mouth and gingerly nursed it, sucking away the blood and holding it on your tongue as you waited for the throbbing to subside. As you sat and wondered to yourself why you would even attempt something so frustrating, not to mention useless, you heard knocking at the door. Before you could rise from your seat, your three younger sisters were already thundering down the stairs and rushing the door. Elle, the oldest of them, reached the knob first and yanked it forward to see who was on the other side. When all you could hear coming from the foyer was their exuberant laughter and senseless chatter, you made your way over to see how you could assist your guest. Most likely it would turn out to be a business acquaintance of your father’s, or someone equally as dry and boring.

Instead, you found Vicrul holding his hat under his arm and flashing a bright smile at the young girls crowding him. When he saw you come into view his shoulders relaxed and his smile spread to his eyes, causing crinkles to sprout up at the outer corners. 

“Vicrul - this is a surprise,” you remarked. “Can I help you with something? Are you here to see my father?” you asked, the confusion seeping into your voice.

“You’re Rey’s sister, right?” Vicrul asked kindly, tentatively saying your name as if it were a question.

“Yes, that’s me, what can I do for you?” you continued, still unclear as to his presence on your front step.

“I just came to bring you this - it’s for you and all of your sisters,” he said, pulling an envelope out of his jacket and handing it to you. Without even knowing the contents of the envelope, your sisters burst out into excited, anticipatory squeals. You tried not to be mortified at their behavior, completely untempered even in the presence of a man barely known to them. You chose to ignore them to the best of your ability and worked the envelope open, lifting away a wax seal in the process.

You pulled a letter out and quickly skimmed its contents, conscious of how long Vicrul had been standing at your door by now. Before you could finish, he interjected, “I’m having a little ‘house warming’ party at the Netherfield Estate tomorrow and I wanted to invite you all - I hope you’ll come.” At this, another chorus of ecstatic but unintelligible sounds erupted from your younger sisters.

“Of course we’ll come, thank you for the invitation” you answered.

“Wonderful,” he paused, “you’ll let Rey know as well?” his eyes searched what he could see of the house’s interior behind you. “And tell her how sorry I am to have missed her?” 

“Yes, I’ll be sure to tell her; she’ll be thrilled at the opportunity to dance again,” you assured him.

Silence hung in the air for a moment as you waited for him to take his leave. 

“Well, I should probably get going, but I hope to see you all tomorrow.” Vicrul replaced his hat on his head and retreated from your porch as you closed the door behind you.

*********************

The next evening you and all of your sisters were crammed into your bedroom to get ready for Vicrul’s party. You had smuggled a bottle of brandy from your parents’ liquor cabinet so each of you could have a swig as you did each others’ hair and helped lace corsets.

The room was littered with various garments: thigh high stockings, garters, slips - all strewn about as you rifled through each other’s closets, tried on outfits, and discarded them in dissatisfaction. But this was all part of the process, the ritual before a night out. Being in the company of all four of your sisters was an indescribable joy; they were your best friends, and you all shared a silent language, known only amongst the five of you. When Elle pulled on one of your old dresses, too small for you now but practically made for her frame, she looked to you with a question in her eyes. She was growing into a beautiful young woman and the gown accentuated the long, elegant lines of her body. You beamed at her and a toothy grin broke out across her face - she knew of your approval without so much as a word exchanged.

“Hey - a little help over here!” you heard Rey shout for your attention. Her arms and torso were contorted as she struggled to clasp the fasteners on the back of her dress. She looked up at you, cheeks flushed with exertion, and widened her eyes in a silent plea for help. In an attempt to stifle the laughter that was bubbling up at the scene, you brought the brandy bottle to your lips for a sip before walking over.

“Just stand up straight and let me do it for you,” you smirked, feeling the warmth of the drink settling into your stomach. As your fingers worked at the back of her dress, you remembered the interaction you’d had with Vicrul. “Did I tell you that Vicrul was looking for you yesterday? He seemed _very_ disappointed to have missed you…” you teased.

Rey’s eyes widened. “He was?” 

You nodded, “But I think it was for the best that you weren’t there. Now that you’ve kept him waiting, he won’t be able to stay away tonight. Just play coy and you’ll have him wrapped around your finger, especially in this dress.” You looked at Rey with a glint in your eye. She was so sweet and gentle, you had to teach her a bit of your bad behavior.

“What about his partner Kylo?” Rey shot back, riding your playful energy. “I know you said there’s nothing there, but he’s so _handsome_ , maybe he’s not so bad once you get to know him.”

You didn’t meet your sister’s eyes as you continued fastening her dress. “You could be right, but there’s something about that man that I can’t quite place, and I don’t know if I have the energy to figure him out.” Wanting her to drop the subject, you finished getting Rey into her dress and moved to stand by her shoulder, directing her gaze to the mirror in front of you. She looked like a dream, draped in mauve chiffon, cinched at the waist in a rich velvet sash, and decorated in floral motifs of the same lush velvet. 

She looked at you in the mirror, “And now - you!”

Rey took your hand and led you out of your room into hers. She went to her closet and wrestled her way through the dresses that burst from the open doors. At last, she found what she was looking for all the way at the back. She revealed a large white box and set it on her bed. 

“I picked this up for you as a surprise while you were browsing at the bookstore last week. I saw it and I just _knew_ you had to have it,” she grinned at you. “Close your eyes, and no peeking!” she instructed.

You did as you were told and waited in anticipation as you listened to the soft rustling of fabric being pulled from the box and laid across her bed. “Okay - open.”

You gasped in surprise and awe. Spread over the bed was probably the most beautiful gown you had ever seen. Long, curling scrolls of black velvet covered creamy white satin from bust to train. The bodice tapered at the navel into a sharp point, leading the eye to the waist then down the length of the skirts. The swirling design was not a simple repeating textile - rather, every inch of its placement was intentional to compliment the silhouette. 

You looked back to your sister, jaw dropped to the floor, and lunged to strangle her in a hug. “Let’s get you in it then,” she laughed into your hair.

Holding Rey’s forearm for balance, you stepped into the skirts and bent to pull it up over your hips. Once your arms were through the sleeves - light, sheer puffs of black and white tulle - she fastened the bodice on you. 

You walked over to her full length mirror and marveled at the piece of art that hugged your body; it fit like a glove. “You’re a vision,” Rey gushed, peering at your reflection alongside you. You turned to embrace her again, this time more gently. You pulled away when you heard the commotion of your younger sisters running down the stairs. “I guess our coach is here,” Rey shrugged, “but before we go, where did you put that brandy?”

********************

By the time you arrived at the Netherfield Estate for the “housewarming party” - as Vicrul had put it - there were already over a hundred guests dancing and drinking the night away. You followed the sound of music, eager to find a partner and start dancing. 

The first man who asked for your hand was granted it. He had a face you would likely forget by the end of the song, but he was a good enough dancer, so you let him lead you around the dance floor for the next few minutes. Once the band stopped playing, you thanked the man and immediately moved on to find another partner. This pattern continued for a while, interspersed with glasses of prosecco, until a familiar face caught your attention. 

“Hux!” you shouted over the noise of the crowd, one hand waving over your head to draw his notice.

He had been speaking with another gentleman when you called out to him, but broke off to come over upon recognizing you. As he walked towards you, a sweet smile spread across his face, causing light to reflect off of the apples of his cheeks.

He stopped a few feet away to take in the sight of you. “Wow, you look incredible.” He took another step forward, took your hand in his, and lightly kissed your fingers. You blushed, but kept his eye contact. “Would you like to dance?” He asked, your hand still only inches from his lips.

“That’s what I’m here for,” you grinned. Needing no further encouragement, Hux led you back onto the dance floor.

He was light on his feet, an exceptionally confident dancer. He moved with such ease and grace that you never once had to guess what he would do next. As he spun you around, you glimpsed a tall, dark-haired man, but you were giddy and dizzy enough to pay him no mind. 

When the song ended, you and Hux were nearly chest-to-chest. You brought your hand to his shoulder to steady yourself and catch your breath. You looked up to him, cheeks flushed. “You’re a great dancer! I’m going to find the restroom, but I’d love to do this again tonight - if all the other ladies don’t snatch you up first.”

“You’re pretty good yourself,” he beamed down at you. 

With your heart rate returning to normal, you pulled away from him, gave a cheeky wink, and turned to walk away.

You imagined the restroom wouldn’t be too difficult to find, considering it was usually preceded by a long line of women waiting to get in. In anticipation of the wait, you grabbed another glass of prosecco on your way over. 

You weaved through the crowd until it got thinner and the volume of the music began to fade. But the longer you wandered, the further you felt from your destination. When you found yourself alone in a deserted hallway, you finally admitted to yourself that you might be lost. At that point though, curiosity got the better of you. Draining the last of your drink, you set the glass down on a small table in the hall and allowed yourself to roam, truly aimlessly this time.

You opened doors to unknown rooms, peaking your head in to see their contents. Many of these rooms were empty, or nearly so, but with Vicrul’s recent move, this wasn’t an especially shocking find. Even the sparsely furnished rooms had an air of luxury though. It seemed like there was a fireplace in every single room, but with the high, vaulted ceilings, it was probably necessary. 

At this point, all pretenses of searching for a restroom were extinct - you were clearly snooping. As you rounded yet another corner in this maze of a house, you slammed face-first into a man’s chest. The drinks and dancing were making your head swim, and you struggled to steady yourself after this collision. The man grasped your wrists and held them close to his body, lending you some stability. You were going to thank him for his assistance, but before the words could form, your senses were alight with the sultry blend of cedar, cardamom, and bergamot...your eyes slowly traveled up the form that held you so close. You were met with dark honeyed irises and black pupils blown wide.

Your lips parted slightly as you gazed up at Kylo Ren, suddenly aware that only your forearms, pinned against his chest, separated your body from lying flush with his. 

“What are you doing here, so far from the party? If you tell me you were looking for the restroom again I’ll never believe another word that comes from that lying mouth of yours.” Kylo’s eyes were ablaze, his hands still holding you firmly against him.

You pursed your lips together, not wanting to incriminate yourself. You _had_ been looking for the restroom, at least at first, but he would never accept that answer, so you remained silent. Your hands were balled up into loose fists, but Kylo’s grip was constricting, so you flexed your fingers in search of some relief.

“If I let you go, will you fall?” he asked, skepticism written across his face. You shook your head and looked up at him through your eyelashes, pushing your lower lip out into a pout that you hoped would convince him to let go.

“I just came here to dance tonight...I didn’t mean to get up to any trouble,” you whispered. You thought this display of innocence had worked when you felt him release your wrists, but his hands were immediately replaced on your waist.

“Do you dance?” your eyes never left his, but your hands floated down to rest on his arms. At this, you felt him grip you tighter.

“I prefer not to look a fool in front of friends and strangers,” he murmured.

“With the right partner it can be quite an exhilarating experience,” you challenged. In the distance, you could hear the band start up for a new song, this one a slow dance.

One of Kylo’s hands drifted from the curve of your waist to the fullness of your hips, the other gliding to the small of your back. He began to sway gently to the muffled beat of the music. You closed your eyes and wordlessly followed his lead. The small space between your bodies felt magnetically charged; you allowed the distance to be closed as you leaned in, turning your cheek and resting it against his chest. He smelled of spices and musk, and you melted into his warmth.

Kylo’s lower hand guided your hips into his while the hand on your back traced up your spine until his fingers curled around the back of your neck. His thumb pressed into your pulse, causing your head to fall to one shoulder and expose your neck to him. First, you felt the light tickle of his hair brushing your collarbone. Your eyes were still closed, so you absently wondered how you could be feeling his hair when he had more than a foot on you. Your question was answered when you felt his lips behind your ear, causing a full body shiver.

Your fingers dug into his arms, serving as a silent encouragement. Kylo’s mouth parted and he began to kiss down your neck. Your skin was on fire, each graze of his lips searing you. As he reached the base of your neck you felt the scrape of his teeth, feral and restrained at the same time. Your breath hitched and your head lolled back into his hand. He sucked your skin between his teeth and slowly pulled away, breaking capillaries and forcing a small cry to escape you. Before you could process what was happening, his lips returned to the site of their assault, and his tongue darted out to soothe the sting. You whimpered and opened your eyes to watch him. Sensing this, he pulled his mouth away and straightened back up to meet your gaze. 

This time you were sure of it, you could see the desire darkening his eyes. Desire, restraint, tension, electricity. You were sure you’d drown in his intensity, unable, or unwilling, to pull away. 

In the distance you heard the band fall silent, followed by applause, indicating the end of your dance. Kylo stopped his swaying and reluctantly pulled his hands away from you. You dropped your arms by your sides, drew in a shaky breath, and took a half step back. The clicking sound of high heels on tile brought you back to your senses and you looked up to see who was approaching.

Around the corner came Rey, who stopped short when she saw you standing alone with Kylo in an empty hallway. “I’ve been looking all over for you, where have you been?” Rey asked, shooting you a quizzical look. 

“I was looking for the restroom,” you answered, too quickly. “I was lost when I ran into Mr. Ren, and he said he could help me find my way back.” The ease of the lie surprised even you. Heat rose to your cheeks when you remembered what Kylo had said about this habit of yours. You turned to face him, “Thank you Sir, but it seems my sister knows the way - she can accompany me back to the party.”

“Of course.” He nodded politely to your sister. “Keep an eye on her - a woman shouldn’t wander alone in a strange place. I shudder to think of the predicaments she could be in right now had she not run into me first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the dress you wore:  
> https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/images/h2/h2_1976.258.1a,b.jpg  
> https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5a/c9/9f/5ac99ff2c81db03de9a7aead7db82d33.jpg
> 
> Here's Rey's dress:  
> https://pin.it/2Pm7sdK  
> https://pin.it/5jJK6Qk


	5. Unexpected Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even sober, you find you can't keep away from Kylo Ren.

That night, after returning from the party, you invited Rey into your room. When you were younger you used to have regular “sleepovers” in each other’s rooms. You would gossip and giggle and sneak late-night snacks from the kitchen. It had been a couple of years since you and Rey had done this, but with the night’s events on constant replay in your mind, you needed to confide in her without any further delay.

You and Rey settled onto your bed after stripping away your many layers - skirts, petticoats, and corset - that had lent you a perfect silhouette for the past several hours. You sat across from each other in long, matching cotton shifts. Your hair was released from the strain of the many pins that had held it up all night, allowing gentle waves to fall down your back. Placed on the bed between you and Rey was a plate of olives, bread, and whatever hard cheese you could find in the kitchen. Rey made silent eye contact with you, but before she could pry anything out of you, you ripped away a chunk of the bread and stuffed it in your mouth along with a slice of cheese. You were stalling, but the savory combination of cheese and bread made you salivate and recall that you hadn’t eaten in at least twelve hours. You decided to continue working at the food on the plate and allow Rey to speak first.

She popped an olive in her mouth and chewed it slowly while scanning her eyes over your face, eyes slightly narrowed. She wasn’t one to mince words, and this evening was no different. She swallowed and opened her mouth to speak but paused with her lips slightly parted. You watched the gears turn in her mind as she formulated how to begin. 

“What were you doing with Kylo tonight? And no lies this time, I know you too well for that to work on me.” Evidently, she had decided to simply get to the point. Her tone was soft, but you could also hear that she wasn’t going to let you shoo away the topic this time.

You sighed and buried your face in your hands. How could you possibly explain what had transpired in the minutes before she had found you alone in the hallway with Kylo? You hadn’t even yet given yourself the chance to dissect your feelings about him. You conjured up an image of Kylo in your mind – tall, broad, commanding presence and piercing, perceptive eyes. Somehow, every time you were in the same room as him, you felt yourself physically drawn to him and a fog descended over your brain. You would find your feet glued to their place on the ground in front of him, unable to move away until he released his invisible hold on you. How would you explain to Rey your undeniable attraction to Kylo Ren, a man you couldn’t say you were really even acquainted with?

You lifted your head from your hands to find Rey looking at you expectantly. You drew in a shaky breath – if there was anyone who you could confide in, it was Rey. Maybe she would even be able to help you put words to the turbulence in your head.

“I was looking for the restroom, but I got a little bit nosy, so I started poking my head into different rooms to see what Vicrul’s house looked like.” You paused to gauge Rey’s reaction, but her face was blank as she listened. “At one point, I turned a corner and ran right into Kylo. I don’t know what he was doing there though, since I was clearly far from any restroom.”

At this, Rey interjected, “Do you think he was following you? I saw him watching you dance with that red-haired man earlier in the evening.”

The thought that you couldn’t repeatedly run into Kylo in odd places, simply out of coincidence, had occurred to you. Not knowing what to do with that information, you had pushed it out of your mind, deeming it unlikely behavior for a gentleman of his class and status. Now that Rey presented you with this theory again though, it was starting to gain merit.

“It’s possible…” you trailed off, not ready to contemplate the implications of Kylo stalking you through the hallways. Instead, you chose to continue your retelling of what had occurred. 

“I was a little tipsy, and he helped steady me, but then we started dancing?” You lifted your intonation at the end as if it were a question. You had just swayed to the music, not exactly dancing, and that had led to something that certainly wasn’t part of any dance that you were familiar with.

Rey continued to listen patiently, but her eyes drifted from your face to your neck. She gave you a pointed look.

“Dancing?”

Your mind returned to reimagine the way Kylo’s hands had explored your body and the way his lips had attacked the delicate skin by your pulse. Absently, you brought your fingers to your neck and felt the tender spot that his teeth had ravaged so deliciously. 

Realizing what you’d found, the color drained from your face and you brought your eyes to meet Rey’s. She was still looking at you, brows lifted expectantly as she waited for you to reveal the whole truth. How were you supposed to put into words what had happened? Were you just supposed to tell Rey that this man, this near complete stranger, had dug his teeth into you and then drug his tongue over the damage to soothe it? How would you put into words the way he sucked your skin into his mouth and made you shiver at the sensation?

Rey was now focusing on the spot that your fingers were gently prodding. At this point, you weren’t sure that the details were completely necessary, considering she was eyeing the red-purple mark that Kylo had left you with. Without exchanging any words, she had easily filled in the blanks. 

You took a breath and dropped your hand back into your lap. There wasn’t much of a point to hiding it. Keeping your gaze down, you finally spoke, “I don’t know how it happened. I feel powerless in his presence, but in a light, euphoric kind of way. Like he’s the only thing tethering me to this earth, and if I don’t allow him to take hold of me, I might just float away.”

Rey nodded slowly but remained silent, thinking. You stuffed some more food into your mouth to prevent you from speaking any further, and waited for Rey’s evaluation.

“Be careful around him. I’ve heard he can be ruthless in his business – a sadist, even. If he wants to court you, it needs to be in public. Don’t let him leave you ruined and unmarried.”

Rey’s words were harsh, but you knew you needed to hear them. You couldn’t be complacent around Kylo anymore without consequences.

“Thanks Rey, I think I needed to hear that,” you said, pulling your sister into a hug.

*************

The next morning you and Rey received another invitation from Vicrul, this time for a more intimate setting: dinner at his estate. Vicrul didn’t personally deliver it this time, but you were excited all the same. You were especially curious to see how Rey and Vicrul would act together when they weren’t dancing. 

After reading the invitation, you yelled to Rey, hoping your voice would carry enough to find wherever she was in the house. “Rey! We’ve got plans tonight!”

A few moments later, she emerged from the drawing room. “Dinner at Vicrul’s?” she asked. She continued, seeing the bemused look on your face. “He told me last night. It’s going to be a small crowd – just us, Vicrul, his sister Caroline, a few of his friends from work and, uh, Kylo…” she trailed off at the end. 

You didn’t want her to worry about you spending more time with Kylo, so you brushed it off. “Sounds fun! I’d like to meet this Caroline – I bet we’ll get some alone time with her when the men go to smoke after dinner.” You kept your face relaxed as you spoke and it seemed to have the desired affect on Rey. She dropped her shoulders and smiled at you.

“I’m excited too, I could always use another girlfriend.” 

************** 

Dinner passed rather uneventfully. You made sure to keep your wine to a single glass, eager not to repeat your last drunken encounter with Kylo. He was seated across from you during the meal, and though he wasn’t much of a conversationalist with you, you caught his furtive glances several times, only for his eyes to flick away upon meeting yours. 

Thankfully, Vicrul’s sister Caroline was seated between you and Rey, and she had an ease and lightness about her that kept the three of you entertained through all five courses. This was your first time meeting her; you’d heard of her beauty from others, but their descriptions didn’t do her justice. In the candlelight, the myriad shades of gold and copper in her elaborate updo shimmered and shifted. Her collarbones were delicately displayed just above the wide neck of her dress. Everything about her was elegant and refined, from her porcelain, lightly freckled skin, to her high brow. 

As you listened to her tell stories of her childhood with Vicrul, you glanced over at Rey, who was absolutely enraptured, hanging onto her every word. At one point, Caroline threw her head back in laughter at something Rey had said and affectionately placed her hand over Rey’s. You saw Rey blush and smile a bit wider. You made a mental note to bring that up with her later.

A few of Kylo and Vicrul’s business associates were at the dinner as well. They were introduced earlier in the evening, but you weren’t sure if you’d remember all of the new names by the end of the night. Taking up the remaining seats at the table were Ushar, Trudgen, Kuruk, Cardo, and Ap’lek. A few of them had brought dates, but they were seated too far away for you to be a part of their conversations.

************

When the last of the plates were cleared away from the table, then men prepared to move to Vicrul’s study for cigars and whisky. Vicrul looked to his sister and asked her to pick out a dessert wine for the women, but his words fell on deaf ears as she was still so engrossed in conversation with Rey – they had really hit it off. He furrowed his brow when she didn’t respond.

Kylo had heard though. “I can get it Vic, I know where the wine cellar is.” Then, turning to you, “Would you like to come pick something out? He’s got quite the selection.” These were the only words he had exchanged with you all night, outside of greetings upon your arrival.

Your stomach clenched up at the thought of being alone with him again, but you were completely sober this time, so you figured you could trust yourself to keep your distance and propriety this time.

“Sure, I’d love to see what he has.” You stood from your chair and looked to your sister, “I’ll be back soon, Rey.” She nodded without looking up from her conversation. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes at her and instead gave her shoulder a small squeeze as you stepped away from the table. 

Kylo was already standing at the dining room’s doorway, waiting for you to join him. Once you did, he turned and wordlessly began down the hallway, not looking back to see if you were following. Soon, he reached a door, which he pulled open to reveal a staircase leading down into the basement. 

He allowed you to descend in front of him; you didn’t notice him pull the door shut behind him. 

When you reached the bottom of the stairs you paused in awe. The walls were all exposed brick and lined with hundreds of bottles of wine. Hanging from the ceiling was a crystal chandelier that illuminated the space in a soft, warm glow. 

You slowly walked the perimeter of the room, fingers lightly tracing over the bottles, pausing every so often to pick one up and inspect the label. Finally, you turned back to face Kylo. He was standing on the opposite side of the room, leaning against the wall, arms casually crossed at his chest. 

You didn’t want to admit it to Kylo, but you weren’t really sure how to pick out a dessert wine. Rather than embarrass yourself by choosing something totally inappropriate though, you decided to swallow your pride.

“I, uh, don’t really know much about wine. Could you help me choose something, please?” You asked him.

Thankfully, he didn’t laugh at your ignorance. He didn’t even smirk, he just pushed away from the wall and walked towards you. The intensity in his eyes made you shrink back against the rack of wine behind you. His long strides had him inches from you in seconds. The way he was looking at you, you weren’t sure if he’d heard a single word you’d said. This was confirmed when he tucked a stray curl behind your ear, then brought his rough, calloused hand to cup your jaw. His thumb gently stroked your cheek, never breaking eye contact.

At this point, your heart was hammering in your chest and you felt trapped in his stare. Before you realized what was happening, his plush lips were on your cheek and he began to place featherlight kisses on your skin, working his way to your ear and gently nibbling on your earlobe.

Finally, he pulled his lips away to answer you. “The wine depends on the dessert you pair with it. I was thinking I’d like to have something sweet and decadent, something dripping in honey.” 

Your mouth hung open at his words, wondering if you were imagining the innuendo. He took advantage of this and brought his lips to meet yours, plunging his tongue into your mouth. Your breath hitched, and he pulled you closer with a hand to your low back. Immediately, you felt intoxicated on the taste of him. Against your better judgement, you submitted to the kiss without a moment of struggle. You felt your knees weakening, so you grabbed onto his arm for support. At this, Kylo pulled you fully flush with him, allowing you to feel his hardness press into you. 

You couldn’t help it – his intentions were clear and you stifled a moan into his mouth, succumbing further to the sensations of his tongue exploring your mouth. Your heart was pounding in your chest when he broke the kiss. He ran this thumb along your lower lip, wiping away some of the wetness – from whose mouth you weren’t sure.

“I’d like to eat you for dessert,” he murmured, voice low and dark. 

It felt as if all of the oxygen was sucked from the room. All you could do was nod your head dumbly, any words you might’ve said dying in your throat. At this point, it seemed Kylo had managed to melt your brain, and there was nothing left in you that could fight off his advances, despite the impropriety of it all. He wasn’t courting you publicly and hadn’t indicated that he was planning on it. You would be ruined if anyone were to learn of your secret rendezvous with Kylo, but being in his presence seemed to put you under a spell that you had no power to break.

Kylo stood towering over you, his fingers resting on the top button of your blouse, waiting for your consent. You were trembling, not sure that you could muster any words to respond. Sensing this, Kylo lifted your chin with one finger so that your eyes would meet his. 

“Will you let me have a taste? I’ve been craving you all night, just thinking about how delicious you’ll taste.” Kylo never broke eye contact, but began to undo the top buttons of your blouse, slowly revealing your chest that heaved with erratic breaths.

All rationality ceased to exist for you at this point. Kylo had made a mute of you and wiped all coherent thoughts from your mind. All you could focus on was the way his fingers slowly worked your buttons open, and the heat pooling between your thighs. You were possessed, hypnotized, by Kylo’s words, his slow, almost rhythmic movements, his scent – his very presence never failing to reduce you to your basest form. 

You couldn’t deny that you wanted him in every way a woman could want a man. Now, with his smoldering gaze raking over your body, you finally submitted. Still unable to speak, you simply nodded your head. 

The corners of Kylo’s mouth quirked up at this. “That’s my good girl.” 

He ceased his methodical unbuttoning, pausing for a long moment, only to take both hands and rip your blouse the rest of the way open. You gasped as buttons scattered on the floor around you. This recklessness should have scared you, but instead you felt yourself clench in anticipation. 

Kylo reached into the front of your corset and pulled your breasts out to sit above the top of it. Your nipples were already hard and painfully sensitive. He bent down to take one into his mouth while his hand massaged your other breast. His tongue swirled around the hard little peak, then he trapped it between his teeth and pulled away slowly, causing you to throw your head back and moan.

He moved to your other nipple to give it the same attention, sucking it hard, then rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. Your eyes were closed through this as you enjoyed the sensations, so when you felt his mouth leave you, you groaned in protest. But not a moment later, you felt him sliding his hand down your sides, then down your legs, until he reached the hem of your skirts and began to hike them up. 

Your eyes snapped open to see him kissing up your stockinged legs, his fingers grappling with the clips of your garter belt. 

“Wait! What are you doing?” Your heart was beating wildly as you watched him release one stocking from the clips that held it up, rolling it down past your knee. He didn’t even look up when you spoke, choosing to give his answer between kisses and nips to the soft flesh of your thighs.

“I’m going to sate my appetite,” Kylo mumbled against your skin, getting dangerously close to the apex of your thighs.

Your breath was shuddering in your chest as you watched him roll down the other stocking. He hiked your skirts up further and gripped at your hips, digging his fingers in a bit too deeply and eliciting a surprised gasp from you.

When he finally reached your center, he pressed his face into the fabric that covered you and took a deep inhale, followed by an audible growl from the back of his throat. He brought his gaze up to meet yours, then ran the flat of his tongue over your slit, separated from it only by a thin layer of cotton. Never having been touched like this before, your body responded by dripping more wetness, causing you to burn with embarrassment. Kylo only grinned at this, clearly enjoying the way your discomfort was mixing with obvious desire.

Without any further ceremony or preparation, he tucked his fingers over the waistband of your panties and yanked them down in one swift motion. Without consciously meaning to, you stepped your feet a bit wider apart to fully accommodate his frame under you.

Kylo brought his hands to your inner thighs and used both of his thumbs to pull your lips apart, affording him a view that not even you yourself had seen. Holding you fully exposed, he ran his tongue slowly up your slit, flicking it away when he reached your clit. 

Unable to restrain yourself, you let out a throaty moan. 

He paused once more. “Delicious. And absolutely dripping.”

Your jaw fell open, but before you could even begin to formulate a response, his mouth was on you again, running along your folds and paying special attention to your clit. He sucked it into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it in agonizing circles. 

He could feel your legs trembling and decided to relieve you a bit by taking one and throwing it over his shoulder. You slumped into him, not realizing yet that this new position had only opened you wider to his hungry mouth. 

At this point, without your own notice, you were lifting your hips to bring them closer to his face. Your body was begging for his touch, and he obliged by spearing his tongue inside of you. You could feel the tension rising in your core and began mumbling incomplete and incoherent thoughts between moans.

“Yes…right there…please, just…I’ve never…”

You felt the heat of his mouth leave you, and began to protest, when suddenly it was replaced with something else. Kylo slid one of his large, rough fingers into you and curled it upwards in a “come hither” motion. 

Your mouth hung open in silent, blissful agony – the sounds you were trying to release stuck in your throat. When he then brought his tongue back to your clit, you threw your head back and let out a loud “fuck!” to the ceiling.

He continued his assault, tongue and finger working in tandem, both slowly increasing the tempo of their movements. When he inserted another finger, you slapped your hand over your mouth and squeezed your eyes shut. 

Kylo noticed the muffled change in your volume and looked up, brow furrowed.

“Oh no Princess, that won’t do, I need to hear you sing,” Kylo cooed. 

Unable to disobey in this moment, knowing that every second you did was a second without his tongue laving you, you nodded and lowered your hand.

“Good girl. You’ll learn that when you listen and obey me, you’ll be rewarded.” And with that, Kylo sucked your clit into his mouth and began fingering you in earnest. The thrusting and twisting of his fingers was making obscene sounds and you managed to notice in your fogged mind that your wetness had dripped all the way down to his wrist.

The lewd scene that you were witnessing between your legs, along with the expert motions of Kylo’s tongue and fingers, was causing the pressure in your core to rise. Your orgasm was drawing closer and closer. 

Kylo gently scraped his teeth over your sensitive clit, causing you to curse and partially lose the grip you had on the rack of wine behind you. A bottle of red came crashing to the ground and shattered, sending glass and liquid flying. But your peak was drawing tantalizingly closer, so you disregarded the mess.

You closed your eyes once more and focused on chasing your orgasm. 

“Kylo, I’m getting close,” you stuttered. You brought your hand to the top of his head, tangled your fingers into those beautiful locks, and urged his face closer, if that was even possible.

You looked down to watch him, but your vision was starting to blur at the edges as the tension continued to build. You opened your mouth to encourage him further when you heard the squeal of door hinges not too far away. Judging by the halting of his motions, Kylo had heard it too. 

“Kylo? I heard glass break – better not be my favorite vintage!” 

Vicrul. And standing at the top of the stairs to the cellar, by the sounds of it.

Your heart stopped beating. Or at least that’s what it felt like. Pure terror. At the same time, unbidden tears sprung up in the corners of your eyes – physical frustration of having your orgasm stolen away when it was so close.

Kylo had pulled his mouth away from your clit, but his fingers were still buried deep inside of you. 

Your collective silence apparently encouraged Vicrul to investigate further. A moment later, you heard the muted thuds of footsteps on the stairs. You looked frantically at Kylo and moved to lower your skirts and preserve some modesty. 

But Kylo gave you a mischievous look, pushed your skirts up higher, and resumed the pumping of his fingers inside of you. You covered your mouth again, but to your horror, the sloshing of your wetness was painfully audible.

The sound of footsteps was drawing closer, and against your will, so was your orgasm.

Just as you felt yourself seconds from your peak, you heard Vicrul reach the bottom of the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone keeping up with this, I'm sorry this took so long to go up! Hopefully it was rewarding despite the wait.


	6. First they're sour, then they're sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The way Kylo's acting, we're going to be experiencing some serious emotional whiplash.

In just a moment, Vicrul would turn the corner from the stairwell and have a full view of you, legs spread wide, and Kylo, his face inches from your cunt, fingers buried deep. You wanted to contemplate your situation, to find some unseen escape route, but you were out of time.

Just as that thought was completed, Vicrul finally came into view. He took in the scene in front of him, then quirked a brow. He didn’t look scandalized by the display that you and Kylo were putting on, which you were thankful for in some ways. In other ways, his reaction (or lack of reaction) also signaled to you that he wasn’t here to save you either. He had a glass of whisky in his hand and he took a casual sip from it as he sauntered forward, closer.

Broken glass from the shattered wine bottle crunched under his shoes. He didn’t stop his approach until he was standing just behind Kylo, in full view of your lips stretched around his fingers.

You didn’t want to look at him, but you weren’t thinking logically. A small part of you thought that maybe Vicrul could still intervene, could prevent you from coming completely undone in front of them both. To this end, you caught Vicrul’s eye and opened your mouth to plead that he get you out of this situation.

Unfortunately, Kylo had just brought his mouth back down to suck your clit into his mouth. Rather than a coherent plea for help, your words quickly morphed into a moan.

“Vicrul, I…ooh God, fuck-!” Your eyes rolled back in your head, the last of your resistance dissolving.

“This one’s got a filthy mouth, huh?” Vicrul bantered with Kylo.

“Mmm,” was all Kylo could manage with his mouth still occupied. The vibrations from his response caused you to shudder, bringing you back to the precipice of your orgasm.

Then, to you, “Say my name again sweetheart, I love the way it sounds coming out of that mouth.”

You looked at Vicrul in disbelief but squeezed your eyes shut when you felt Kylo simultaneously pick up the pace of his fingers and his tongue. You brought your attention back to the man kneeling between your legs and grabbed a fistful of his hair. This was all very quickly becoming too much to handle, and you realized that you had reached the point of no return.

Kylo pulled his face away to look up at you. Realizing you were teetering on the edge, he decided to give you one last push.

“You love this, don’t you? You get off on being on display, like the little _whore_ that you are. You love an audience, and now you’re going to give us the show we came for. Come for me. Let me see that pretty pussy come around my fingers.”

As your head was swimming with Kylo’s words, only partially able to comprehend what he was saying, you felt the fingers of his other hand start rubbing quick circles on your clit. He was grinning, almost evilly, as he watched your unraveling. Then, without warning, you felt his teeth sink into the soft flesh of your inner thigh, not quite hard enough the break the skin, but the sensation caused you to finally fall over the edge.

And it did feel like falling. It felt as though the solid, tactile world, the very room you were in, had dissolved and left you plummeting through space.

Your mouth was hanging open wordlessly, face contorted in pleasure. Your next exhale nearly came out as a scream, rough around the edges and almost painful sounding. But you were in ecstasy, your walls contracting and spasming around Kylo’s fingers. A torrent of wetness rushed out of you, dripping down Kylo’s wrist and forearm.

He continued his ministrations until the last shudders passed through your body. After gently removing his fingers from you, Kylo brought them up to his lips. You watched wide-eyed as he cleaned his fingers off with his tongue, moaning softly at the taste.

When finally he was done and you felt your senses returning to you, dread began to set in. You looked around the wine cellar to see broken glass, scattered buttons, and splattered red stains on your skirts. How were you supposed to return upstairs in this condition? You certainly couldn’t face your sister looking like this.

Feeling suddenly completely overwhelmed, your lower lip began to tremble, and your vision blurred from tears that were threatening to rain down on Kylo’s head. Upon noticing this, his eyes softened and he rose to his feet. He turned slightly to face Vicrul who looked unbothered by your deteriorating emotions.

“Go upstairs and tell Rey that her sister is feeling unwell and will be staying the night to recover. Do not let her come find us. I will bring her to a spare bedroom and then you will fetch some clean clothes for her from Caroline’s room.” Vicrul just nodded in response and headed back up the stairs without another word exchanged.

Kylo returned his attention back to you to see tears falling freely down your face now. You didn’t have a strong grasp on your emotions in this moment, but you were exhausted all of a sudden and didn’t feel that you would be able to communicate adequately with words.

It was all the same to Kylo – he didn’t need you to speak. He gently brushed your tears away with his thumb, then bent slightly at the waist to scoop you up and cradle you against his chest.

“Shhh, you’re alright, but it’s time for bed now,” he said, then kissed you on the forehead and started for the stairs.

You were nervous to be seen upstairs, so you buried your face in his neck and closed your eyes. You allowed his warmth and sweet, spicy scent to settle your nerves a bit. You felt his chest rumbling against you as he murmured calming words all the way to the bedroom.

Once you had arrived, you looked up to see that there was already a sleeping gown laid out on the bed for you and a fire lit in the fireplace. Kylo placed you down then set to work removing your torn and stained clothes. You tried to pull back, afraid that he wanted more, but he held you steady.

“Hush, don’t worry, I’m just getting you ready for bed,” he said, fingers nimbly pulling open the lacing at the back of your corset. You relaxed and allowed him to continue, raising your arms when he was ready to slip the long cotton gown over your head.

After tying closed the front of the gown, Kylo turned and walked across the room to a basin of water. There was a small stack of wash clothes next to the basin, and he took one, submerged it, then wrung out the excess water.

Returning to stand in front of you, he guided you to sit on the edge of the bed, then took the cloth and used it to gently clean away the dried sweat and tears that had stained your skin. The cloth was pleasantly warm, so you closed your eyes and relaxed.

When Kylo was finished washing your face, he turned his attention to your hair. As usual, you had it pinned up into some intricate updo. He spent the next several minutes searching for and removing all of the pins that were holding the style together – there were probably fifty, but Kylo didn’t stop until they had all been located.

Next, he sat on the bed beside you with his legs parted wide. He pulled you by the waist so that you were now seated in the space between his legs. With your hair fully undone, he began raking his fingers through it, attempting to tame the tangled mess in front of him. Whenever he reached a knot, he would take his time to carefully untangle it without yanking or hurting you.

Once he had finished “combing” your hair, you felt him part it into three pieces and start to weave them together. Realizing what he was doing, a small smile broke out across your face.

“Are you, Kylo Ren, braiding my hair?” you asked, amazed that he knew the first thing about caring for or styling a woman’s hair.

He didn’t seem to find the humor in it and responded like it was perfectly normal. “I have a younger sister,” he stated, as though no further explanation was needed.

You let it slide, you could ask him more about his family after you’d had a nice, long sleep. But the absurdity of the moment was not lost on you. Kylo had just ravished you in front of his friend and colleague, made you cum on his fingers as though the two of you were married and _intimately_ acquainted. But you weren’t, not even close. You had not so much as been on a single date with the man. The thought made your heart sink a bit. Was this all he wanted from you? To use you for sex, but never lay any real claim to you? Your head was spinning with the contradictions though. If that were the case, why was he taking such good care of you now? This too, was something you would have to contemplate after a long rest. Maybe then it would all make more sense.

As these thoughts were racing through your head, Kylo finished braiding your hair and came to kneel in front of you. His height made it so that his kneeling brought him nearly to eye level with you seated on the bed. He tucked a few stray hairs behind your ears, then took your chin in his hand, turning your face left, then right, to admire his work.

Satisfied, he stood. “Get in bed now Princess, it’s time to sleep.” Kylo peeled open the comforter and sheets on the side of the bed closer to the fireplace.

You didn’t hesitate to follow his direction, lifting your feet off of the cool floor to settle under the blankets. Once you were laying down, Kylo brought the comforter up to cover you to your chin. He raised one of his hands down to stroke your cheek, then bent to kiss your forehead.

“You were such a good girl for me tonight, but now you need to rest.” Kylo bent once more, this time to kiss your nose.

“I’ll see you in the morning, okay Princess?” he asked.

You nodded. He turned and started walking towards the door.

“Goodnight,” you said, quietly, not sure that he would hear.

He stopped walking but still faced the door. “Goodnight.” And then he was gone, pulling the door shut behind him.

Once the sound of his footsteps had faded, you tried to go over the evening’s events in your mind, tried to make sense of it all, but sleep was rapidly descending upon you. Your eyes fluttered shut and a warmth settled over you. You curled up on your side and your mind convinced you that you were again cradled in Kylo’s arms, content and comfortable against his chest. With this as your last thought, your exhaustion soon brought you into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a lot shorter than the previous, but I just wanted to finish out the scene.   
> I'm thinking this story is going to go some confusing places, things may get dark and stockholm-y, but I'll be adding to the tags as I go.


	7. Intruder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check the tags! This chapter contains noncon/extremely dubious consent - proceed at your own risk

At some point late in the night, or maybe in the early morning, you heard the creaking of a squeaky floorboard. Your sleep-drunk mind was able to piece together the thought that someone must be entering your room. However, you remained still and maintained your slow, even breaths. For some reason, you weren’t afraid of this late-night intruder. Maybe you should be, but you were not yet conscious enough to reach that conclusion.

By this time, the fire that had been roaring when you drifted to sleep was reduced to a pile of glowing embers. You peaked under your eyelashes to gaze at the low light. Your back was to the door, but you could sense the figure coming closer, though their approach had become silent.

A few more breaths and the mattress sank behind you. Your visitor had invited themselves onto the bed. Now, your mind was starting to awaken, and you struggled to keep up the façade of undisturbed sleep. It was unclear why you felt this way, but you didn’t want this person to know that you were aware of them. Discretely, you closed your eyes again and plunged yourself back into darkness. Moments later, you felt the warmth of a hand on your face, fingers lightly brushing your cheek.

The hand moved over to your hair and began smoothing it down. These soft strokes were almost soothing and began to lull you back to the brink of sleep.

The hand moved to the nape of your neck and tested out the feel of your throat, fingers pressing ever so slightly into your pulse. You felt the bed shift, and then a second hand resting on your shoulder, rubbing circles with its thumb. The first hand hadn’t moved from your throat.

The palm that was resting on your shoulder began to descend down the length of your arm but diverged at the elbow to settle on the narrow of your waist. Fingers massaged the soft flesh between your lowest rib and the top of your hip. Again, the gentle palpitations started to coax you towards a genuine sleep.

Once more however, your mind was pulled back into consciousness. This time, it was from the shifting of the bed. You were slightly jostled as the figure laid down behind you. Their chest pressed flush with your back, and they used one hand to pull your hips to nestle in front of theirs. Involuntarily, your knees bent to curl in front of theirs. From this position, you were able to guess that it was most likely a man who had joined you, based on the size of their frame.

He brought the hand that had been on your throat to settle at the nape of your neck, fingers curling into the hair at the base of your scull. Though the hand was resting in your hair comfortably enough, you realized that you were now physically anchored to this man, whoever he was.

The hand on your waist then began to slide lower, over the swell of your hip and towards the apex of your thighs. You squeezed your eyes shut tighter when he reached his target: the little nub sitting above your entrance. To your growing unease, you felt the man hike your nightgown up to your waist.

You stopped breathing when he pushed your panties to the side and began to make slow, torturous circles with one finger. You bit down on your lower lip and resumed breathing, considering that he might know you were awake if you didn’t do your best to act natural.

The pace of the circles on your clit began to increase, causing your exhales to lightly shudder. He must have thought you fast asleep though, because to your horror, you felt your top leg being lifted to rest over his.

With this new position, the man dipped his fingers into your slit, followed by a sharp inhale. Of course, you were soaking wet, your body having responded to this invasive stimulus against your will. You peaked one eye open to see his finger glistening in the low light.

The hand disappeared behind you for a moment and you heard the sound of the finger being sucked clean by its owner. A few second later, it returned to your slit to gather more wetness and set back to work tracing circles on your clit. You couldn’t help but squirm at his touch.

The hand that was resting in your hair tightened its grip, simultaneously holding you still and pulling your head back to expose your neck. Mercifully, this was followed by the fingers quickening their movements. Good – if you didn’t come soon, you were going to risk exposing how _very_ awake you were.

However, with the faster circles came motion behind you as well. You felt the man’s hardness rhythmically thrusting along the small of your back. Why did that make your walls clench? You shouldn’t _want_ a stranger to use your body like this, but that didn’t stop the wetness from trickling down your inner thigh.

Seemingly without warning, your body stiffened. Sensing your impending orgasm, and apparently close to his own, the man stuffed two fingers inside of you and sank his teeth into your exposed neck, displaying just enough restraint that the skin didn’t break. Your body curled in on itself while every muscle was set ablaze with the intensity of the spasms. Despite the further invasion, some primitive part of your brain was grateful for the fingers inside you, providing something to pulse around.

Miraculously, you had managed to remain silent throughout the whole ordeal. The man slipped his fingers out of you after he felt the last contraction, but not before placing a wet kiss over the site of his bite.

The bed shifted one last time as you felt the man’s heat leave your back. A few seconds later, a soft click indicated the bedroom door closing, followed by silence, and you knew you were alone again.

*********

The next morning, you were woken by the sound of a soft but insistent knocking on your door. Drowsily, you sat up in bed, not quite remembering where you were for a minute. Before you could answer the knock, the voice of an older woman came from the other side of the door.

“Maid – I have clean clothes for the madame and a hot bath drawn up in the next room.”

Realizing that _you_ were “the madame” you jumped up to open the door. A short, plump, and friendly looking woman was standing in front of you, clothes piled in her arms up to her chin. Without any further explanation, the woman turned to walked down the hall. When she didn’t hear your footsteps behind her, she half-turned her head and called back to you, “come along dear, while the water’s still hot.”

You snapped out of your confusion and scurried after her to the bathroom. Inside, she set the clothes onto a chair, then turned to face you.

“I’ll be back in half an hour ma’am to help you dress, and then breakfast will be served,” she told you. Then with just a curt nod, she left you alone in the bathroom.

As you were only wearing a night dress and minimal undergarments, you quickly undressed and settled up to your chin into the steaming bath. The water had cooled to the perfect temperature, allowing it to pull all of the tension out of your muscles. A small table to the left of the tub, just within arm’s reach, had an assortment of soaps, soft-bristled brushes, and body oils. You reached for a bar of soap that looked to have rose petals set into it and lazily began lathering your arms.

You could recall the previous evening perfectly, including the late-night intruder into your bedroom, and yet you seemed to be functioning just fine – completely untraumatized. It had to be shock. Why else would you feel so unbothered by your own very uncouth behavior? You’d never allowed men access to your body before you met Kylo Ren, so what had changed?

You brought the bar of soap to clean the back of your neck and stumbled upon a sore spot. The soap stung a little bit there, bringing back the memory of the man in your bed. He had actually _bitten_ you. At the time, you thought that his teeth hadn’t broken the skin, but now you weren’t so sure. Would there be a mark? Shuddering, you made a mental note to wear your hair down after the bath, just in case.

There was still so much to mull over from the previous night, but that would have to wait until later, because the maid was back to dress you. Hurriedly, you cleaned the rest of your body and allowed her to enter once you had toweled off.

********

Once again wearing Caroline’s clothes (you suspected the night gown was hers as well), you padded down the hallway, away from the bathroom and towards the smell of food. Your nose led you to the dining room – the same you had eaten in last night. The table was covered in a spread of breakfast foods – eggs, sausage, biscuits, fruit, and your favorite: blueberry pancakes.

Seeing nobody else around, you decided to take a seat and help yourself to a plate. You took a bit of everything, then drowned your pancakes in maple syrup, not minding the way it spilled around your eggs and sausage. To your delight, there was even a carafe of coffee and a tiny pitcher of cream at the other end of the table. After pouring some, you dug in, starting with the pancakes, which were truly calling for you.

You were eating with gusto – etiquette be damned in an empty room – when you froze.

“Hungry? I hope everything is to your liking,” came a familiar, deep voice from behind you.

Pausing to swallow a particularly un-ladylike bite of food, you turned to see Kylo standing by the doorway. He looked clean and bright eyed. To your surprise, there was no glint of mischief in his eyes.

“May I sit?” he asked after you remained silent.

“Yes, of course, I should have waited to see if others would be joining,” you replied, embarrassed at your lapse in manners.

If Kylo thought you rude, he didn’t show it, and chose a seat across from yours. He served himself a plate of food that looked almost modest in comparison to yours as well as a cup of coffee, black. How did you just _know_ that he would drink his coffee black?

“Did you sleep well?” he asked. His eyes were on the food in front of him, but you still analyzed his body language, suddenly wary. Was it Kylo who had “visited” you last night?

But he seemed totally at ease, so you responded with a simple “mhm,” and quickly took another bite so that you wouldn’t have to elaborate. It was a strange feeling, but the thought occurred to you that even if it had been Kylo who had let himself in to your bed, you were embarrassed for him to know that you’d been aware. You still hadn’t had the time to consider the complexity of emotions you had about that incident, and you weren’t planning to do that with Kylo in this moment. Maybe you could make him uneasy for a change though.

“So, when did you learn the art of plaiting a woman’s hair?” you asked, regaining some of your edge with the help of caffeine and a full stomach.

Kylo looked over the rim of his mug at you, then lowered it with the beginnings of a smile playing on his lips.

“As I said last night, I have a younger sister – her name is Georgiana. She just turned 16 last month.” Kylo watched your face, giving you a turn to speak.

For some reason, you couldn’t resist the urge to tease him, even though the answer he provided would have satisfied you if it had come from anyone else.

“Is that not a woman’s job, Kylo? Do you like to play maid?” You stuck your chin out and took a sip of coffee, settling your face into a smug expression afterwards.

Without losing any of his composure, Kylo answered, “Yes, you’re right, but our mother died when she was very young, so I decided to learn. She needed the support of her brother, not just another housekeeper.”

At his words, you deflated and averted your eyes. That’s certainly not the answer that you had been expecting. All you wanted to do was poke a bit of fun at him. Why did he have to be such a buzzkill with his tragic-yet-touching family history?

He chuckled, well aware of your discomfort. “Don’t feel bad, it was a long time ago, and I would do anything for Georgiana. Hell, we used to have tea parties when she was little. I’m not ashamed.”

You relaxed at his words and looked up to see him sitting at ease, a warmth in his eyes.

“Well, that’s very sweet,” you allowed him.

The two of you continued eating, trading funny anecdotes about your families, and for a short while, it felt like a normal, civilized meal. That was, until Vicrul sauntered in. A single glimpse at his face caused memories to flash across your vision. For some reason, you couldn’t tear your eyes away from him, or do anything else for that matter.

When Kylo noticed you frozen in place, he twisted around in his chair to see Vicrul standing there.

“Hey Vic, why don’t you join us? I was just learning all about this one’s sisters,” he said, gesturing to you without looking in your direction.

Vicrul began to approach the table, clearly accepting the invitation, but the spell had been shattered for you. There was no way you could sit and eat with _both_ of them and pretend they hadn’t seen you in your most vulnerable and intimate state only ten hours prior.

“Actually, I’m done,” you blurted, quickly pushing your chair back and standing.

In your haste, you shook the table and managed to spill your mug of coffee, staining the white tablecloth in the process. Normally, you would have stayed to clean up the mess, but you _had_ to get out of there before all of your warring emotions tore you apart in front of these two men.

You scurried from the dining room and headed for the bedroom – anywhere to put some distance between you and the manifestations of your poor judgement. Whipping around a corner, you stopped short. On the other end of the long hallway were Rey and Caroline. You were just about to call out to them when you saw that they were holding hands. Frozen in place, you watched Rey step flush with Caroline and lean in for a light kiss. She giggled and buried her face in Caroline’s neck.

Eyes wide, you quietly backpedaled around the corner you’d just turned. You stood with your back pressed against the wall, grateful that they were unaware of your presence. Unfortunately though, you were trapped. You would need to pass by Rey and Caroline to reach the bedroom, and you couldn’t turn back for an alternate route without encountering Kylo and Vicrul again. Out of desperation to avoid any further conflict or confrontation, you crossed the hallway to a random door. Even a closet would provide somewhere to hide out until the coast was clear.

You turned the knob and entered Vicrul’s study.


End file.
